Make mushroom tomato sauce:
Pour boiling-hot water over porcini in a bowl and let stand until softened, about 20 minutes.Lift out porcini, squeezing excess liquid back into bowl, then rinse to remove any grit. Pour soaking liquid through a sieve lined with a dampened paper towel into another bowl. Chop porcini and add to soaking liquid.

Cook onion in oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, 4 to 5 minutes, then stir in tomatoes with juice, sugar, porcini with soaking liquid, and 1 tablespoon basil. Simmer, stirring frequently, until tomatoes have broken down into a chunky sauce, about 25 minutes. Stir in salt and remaining tablespoon basil.

Assemble and bake lasagne:
Cook lasagne noodles in a 6- to 8-quart pot of boiling salted water
8 minutes (noodles will not be cooked through), then drain and transfer to a bowl of cold water.

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 425°F.

Spread 1 cup béchamel on bottom of a buttered 13- by 9-inch baking dish, reserving remainder for last layer. Drain 3 lasagne noodles in 1 layer on a kitchen towel and arrange over béchamel in baking dish. Spread pasta in dish evenly with one third of mushroom tomato sauce and sprinkle with 1/3 cup cheese. Repeat layering of pasta, mushroom tomato sauce, and cheese twice, then cover with last 3 lasagne noodles. Spread remaining béchamel on top and sprinkle with remaining 3/4 cup cheese.

Bake, uncovered, until lasagne is bubbling and top is browned, 30 to 35 minutes. Let stand at room temperature at least 15 minutes before cutting.

Cooks' notes:
· Béchamel and mushroom tomato sauces can be made 2 days ahead and cooled, uncovered, then chilled separately, covered. Bring sauces to room temperature before using.
· You can assemble lasagne 1 day ahead and chill, covered. Bring to room temperature before baking.

my notes

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Recent Review

A big hit with our Italian dinner guests. I doubled the mushrooms (dried boletus edulus), as suggested by other cooks. I reconstituted 2c dried mushrooms, but only used 1c of the mushroom water in the recipe, saving the rest for squash soup next week. This is not a typically cheesy American lasagne. It's much more subtle and delicious in my opinion.